KILLING COMES LIKE A HEROIN KICK.

You insert the needle in your arteries or

sniff it with your nostrils. It comes fast. It rushes in to you, a great tsunami wave in
a hot, humid day-refreshing, ecstatic, heaven-like. Nothing feels much better than
anything. You fly high above the mountains with your wings. Youre unbeatable,
youre invincible, you are the world...youre a god.
When you kill the person you hated most, you will know of satisfaction. It is
the satisfaction of seeing fear and terror slowly creeping in your prey's eyes when
you close in to them. Fear coaxing them, paralyzing them. At first, your prey will
pretend. They will show you surprise then confusion and as they slowly realize what
you are about to do-- fear and terror come next. You know what is funny about
killing? They will show you fake courage for the first few seconds and eventually
come down to their knees scared as a whimpering dog.
Heroine and killing are so much alike. It is not solely because they both
destroy lives nor cost much lives. Ill tell you, even if they often cost many lives.
You will keep coming back to feel the high. You had to have your dose as often to
fulfill your strong desires. Yes, you kept coming back for more and more and
more.....without you knowing it, you become an addict or a killing machine.
My name is Yoshiko . I am an addict, an assassin, a killing machine.

OSAKA, JAPAN. I smiled as the roaring fire rapidly swallowed the house of
Leopold Stark, the second highest officer of the Black Dragon mafia. Stark is a man
in his late forties who has two teenage daughters and a wife in her thirties. I learned

about his two daughters when I crept inside the house and found out that there
were four targets and not two as what my informer said. He was my target tonight.
Nevertheless, I executed the command. The father, out of great debt from the
mafia, slaughtered his wife and his two daughters before he set the house ablaze
and finally shot himself in the head. The newspapers will have those in their
headline. But a few, including me, knew otherwise.
I checked my wristwatch. It was 2:35 a.m. It must have taken forty minutes to
finish the job. Satisfied by the raging inferno in front of me, I cautiously walked
away.
Another mission was accomplished. I could go back to the comfort of my
sauna and my bed, I thought happily when my phone rang.
Agent Yoshiko. I answered as I headed towards the bushes where I parked my
motorcycle 500 yards away.
Hey Yosh,.
Jue. I uttered his name as You. He is my informer.
Dad wants to ask if you got the job. Thats what the organization calls our
head. He is Dad. A shameful paradox in my opinion. Sadly, in the organization,
opinions are ticking bombs.
Tell dad I did it clean and swift. It was murder and suicide.
Ooh, murder and suicide. Youre heartless Yosh.
I didnt mind his comment. There were four of them. The old mans got two
teenage daughters. You better get your information right Jue. There might be
twenty of them in that house. And plenty of people screaming are as irritating as
you!, I hissed as I got in my motorcycle and started the engine.
Oops! My fault. Yep youre right. There were two daughters kept secret from
the prying eyes of the mafia which I eventually discovered and--

And you eventually FAILED to inform me, I gritted my teeth as I sped away
from the distant burning house.
Aww Yosh, youre breaking my heart.
You better get your info right or the next time I see you, I will literally break
your heart . So long Jue. See you around.
But-Pain in the ass. I turned my phone off while hes still saying something. I
badly needed a rest. Im so tired with the four targets I finished today. I obviously
dont need Jue barking some shit on the phone.
My lights cut through the night as I sped along the highway towards my flat.
***

Yoshiko gripped tightly at the handle of her katana. Her knuckles were white
and her palms were bleeding. She was trembling. Her black kimono seemed to
weigh a hundred pounds. She resisted the urge to slump and join Shiru in the floor.
Shiru was whimpering from the long gash in her face. They were compliments from
Yoshikos katana.

Never, ever show your opponent that you are weak!, Dad shouted as he
circled the two young combatants. He stood beside Yoshiko who can only see his
shoulder without looking up.
Weakness is a catalyst of defeat, and defeat of death. His voice is a vibrating
deep timbre. Do not tremble! Never cry! Do not show that you are frightened. In
order to conquer the enemy, do not show a weak point. When he sees that you are
armed to the teeth, he will crumble because he will fear you!
Dad looked at Shiru. His eyes were a pair of black coal devoid of any
emotion. He continued, You have failed me Shiru. In this world that you are in, we
do not tolerate weakness. We abolish it. We crush it. A long silence prevailed
before dad spoke again.
Yoshiko, do it. He said as he turned and walked out of the room.
Yoshiko is shaking badly as she approached Shiru. Tears are rolling down
from her eyes but she wiped them away. Dad should never hear her cry. She would
never show weakness like Shiru, her best friend, did.
Shiru curled on the corner rocking. She is crying silently clutching the edges
of her kimono tightly.
Shiru. Yoshiko whispered.
y-you wouldnt kill me right?, her eyes darted sideways. I am your best
friend. Y-you would let me run. Right? I will run. I am the fastest. They wont catch
me. They wont. They- they wont. YoshhThey will catch you Shiro. She said with a calm voice. They are fast. Faster
than me or you. They are way older. You cant. They will kill you.
B-but..
You are weak Shiro.
Please! Dont. Shiro pulled herself tighter towards the wall. Wailing and
clutching her kimono even tighter.

Im sorry Shiro. Yoshiko whispered as she raised her katana. She breathed in
and closed her eyes.
In the dark night, Shirus shriek echoed towards the endless mountains.
***

Let me be your light,

As you wonder slowly into the dark
Where the endless void of hopelessness reside,
Where you only have the last straw of the fight,
As you crawl in the winding path
Let me be your knight.

Let me be your light,

When you cant find your way back
To the warmth of the hearth tended by love,
To the welcome chorus of the rooftop doves,

When you feel you are out of track

Let me be your guide.

ALASKA, USA. Tristan Fleming read the verses he wrote twice. I aint getting
any better. He sighed. He reached a manila envelope in his desk and stuffed the
bond paper inside.
My poems.
He smirked as he looked at the bulging envelope. He wonders if what his
assistant Kris Turner would say once he found out that ,ruthless Big Bull, writes
poems.
Itll drive him crazy enough, hell marry a girl , he chuckled as he thought of
his Casanova legend assistant. Tristan may be thought as the worst man on earth to
piss. He takes no B.S and crap especially from his men. And he can easily erupt like
a volcano throwing hot lava on anybody who misses an important detail. Yet-- he
writes poems.
They should be precise. He thought. After all, this is security and lives are at
stake. Innocent lives. He maybe one I-mean-business person but his assistant Kris,
when it comes to girls, takes business into another whole new level. Just as Kris
labels it.
He checked his watch. It shows9:45 a.m. He pocketed his pen and stood up
on his swivel chair. He needs to prepare, it will be a big day.
***
Yoshiko woke up drenched in sweat. She wiped her forehead and noticed that
her cheeks were wet.
Shit! She swore under her breath. Shed been crying in sleep.I should stop
visiting the Sanctuary. Its triggering my memories back. The last thing she would
want to happen is to let her memories back. Her childhood memories before she

entered the society are of no value. In fact, shed pushed them too far away from
her consciousness that she succeeded in her forgetting her past.
Your childhood memories before you get here are not important anymore.
Wipe them out. You are a new person here. You have been reborn. You do not need
your old self anymore. She recalled dad saying this when she was a new recruit.
She took a long deep breath and swept her room with a glance.
She looked at the circular blue wall clock. Its 2:35 in the morning. Right on
time. Groggy from the few hour of sleep, she went to the shower without turning on
the lights.
Fresh from the shower, she went to her study lamp and turned on her Mac.
She checked her schedule for the next day. She found no one on the hit list today,
just a simple single task. LEAVE THE BAGGAGE BELOW THE STAGE (CROSSROADS
STADIUM) Ah yes, the Crossroads stadium, she thought with a smirk. She
remembered the first time she killed a man because of a fit of anger.
It was the day she was officially declared as an official member of the
organization. It was the day she killed for the second time. With a butter knife she
slaughtered five men with her bare hands. Their faces are still imprinted in her
mind. Shocked faces staring back at her, life and blood escaping away from their
gushing open throats hacked by her butter knife.
She was not herself after the maddening encounter. She woke up in the
middle of the road beside the Crossroad stadium. Her clothes had been changed
and she smelled lilac. Theyve cleaned me, she thought. Her thoughts were
shattered by a successive honking of a car. She turned around and saw a sleek red
hot Lamborghini. A round middle aged guy sat at the wheel yelling at her.
Dyou wanna die bitch? Have you lost your mind? Ye cant go around layin
yer ass anywhere. Them bitches. He was obviously drunk.
She slowly rose and walked towards the drunk guy and his car.

Im sorry, she said.

The driver looked at her long and hard and finally said, Just how many bucks
can I get that ass to bed baby? Tell me, Im willing to pay you a hundred to f***k
that booty.
Im not what you think.
Come on bitch, Ill give ye the proper f**k*n a woman deserves, he insisted
holding her butt and squeezing it hard.
She turned towards him and smiled. She found his windpipe easily. She
crushed it like a ripe watermelon. He tried to punch her in the face but she knew
what was coming. Holding his hand tight, she hit it hard against the door of the car.
Choking, he struggled to free away from her grip. He punched as hard as he can
only to be terrified. The bitch dont seem to feel a thing. His struggling annoyed
Yoshiko who seemed to be loosing her grip. She hit him hard down there. He howled
and went limp with pain. Seeing the opportunity, Yoshiko tightened her hand and as
she felt his limp windpipe , she smiled at his face filled with terror. So, whod been
fucked?
She came to her senses just in time to hear the sirens wailing from the
distance. The next morning, she had watched from the television that a Texan oil
magnate had been murdered beside the Crossroad Theater. The hunt for theasian
killer had been so hot so she had to stay on the ruins of a church in a forest not far
from the boarder of Texas and Mexico. Shed come to love the ruins she named it
sanctuary.
Her thoughts had been cut by a sharp ping form the computer. Shed just
received a message from Jou. This guy has mastered all her sleeping habits he
seemed to know when she is awake although they are miles away.
Hello, baby.
Hello yourself.

Aww, Yosh. Y so grumpy l8ly?

What is it?
Need 2 tell u something. lemme call you.I miss your voice baby.
Her phone rang and it is indeed Jou.
Yeah? She sighed.
Hey sexy mama. She heard a distinct tone of fear despite his cool voice. She
knew Jou very much.
Whats the matter Jou? Are you okay?
Yeah, yeah sure. Course, course I am...
Nope, youre not. Tell me, is it Ren again? Is she bothering you?
Nope, hold your jealous horses Yosh, its not my crazy ex-girlfriend okay? I
knew you love me deep down there Yosh but--Jou she interrupted him. What is it? Why are you losing your nerve?
Its just...dont do it Yosh. He said, hesitating on the other line.
Do what?
The hit.. today. Its dangerous you see...
Its not a hit Jou. Its just a simple task. I only have to leave a baggage near
the damn theater and Im gone.
Im nervous, you see. Big Bull seems to be handling this case. You know hes
troubleDEEP TROUBLE Yosh. You can let others handle this, Trev or Naomi or... He
is talking about the other guys.
Jue, Im not going after him, I am just going to drop a bag, nice and easy and
walk away. You dont need to worry about me Jue. Good bye. She ended the call
right away.
She have heard of Bull before, assasins stear clear of him. They say he is an
assassin executor. She didnt believe that crap until her archenemy Blitz was taken

down by Bull. Bull allegedly planted Blitz dagger on his own throat. Hmm, could
have been nicer if she did it herself, but the man is dead now.
If the bull makes Jue tremble....then he must be interesting.
000
Cassey Vegas eyes followed Tristan as he enters the building through the
backdoor. She cant help but bite her lips as she stares at him. Hes so gorgeous!
She thought. Men would normally swoon at her within seconds. Her voluptuous
curves and tiny waist would do the job for her. She need not smile or wink at guys.
Beauty and brains work, she thought. But Tristan is different. The first time they
met, he only acknowledged him with a short nod and a slightly raised brow. He said
nothing. She would normally think hes gay for not smiling or even asking for her
number the first time. But again-he is Tristan. Hes different from the guys he met or
had sex with. All of them are for fun but she likes guys for keep. And she would try
hard to keep The Bull on her reins.
She saw Tristan approach her.
She looked at him intently. Look at his eyes Cassey darling, show him you
want him that bad. Lick your lips, uh-huh thats right. Sway your hips a bit...and
here he comes.
Tristan, everybodys waiting for you. Cassey smiled sweetly and held his
arms. I cant wait for this to happen perfectly especially since you are here.
Wouldnt it be lovely to share champagne after this daunting task?
We cannot afford mistakes Casey. This is a matter of national security. Is
everything set? Tristan cant help but notice her hand running up and down his back
lightly.
Of course Trist
I mean it Casey. Is everything set properly?

Of course! Casey, tried to be more professional than she could. I had Fred and
Jimmy station all the agents in all the exits and pretty much the whole show has
been set. They are just waiting for the main actors which are you and me...
Good then lets start. He replied curtly and left.
Casey stared at him leave with his manly gait that always turns her on.
Several pretty heads turned as Tristan walked past them.
Girls! Tristan cursed as he left Casey in the lobby. He obviously noticed that
Casey likes him. With curves like her he might probably give her a taste. But no, this
is work. That girl is trouble and thats what he can read in her eyes and her
generous assets that she use to attract him. She wouldnt hit on Casey. Nope, not
the directors daughter Tristan. No.
Someone made of lanky limbs and glasses came towards him in a hurry. Good
morning Tristan. Everything has been set. All the points of entry and exit have been
carefully blocked by snipers and agents. Cameras on the other building has been
accessed by our tech guys. They are recording and are good to go.
Double check it James, we cant afford holes. Save it offline. I dont want
anyone outside SIA accessing it. You cant trust online security now. There are
always risks.
Alright. Always the cynical guy. James thought. We currently dont have any
x-ray machines that can peek on peoples baggage but the securities on the entry
points are our agents, they are highly trained on inspection.
Ahh, the K9 pack. Just like sniffing dogs, they can be reliable. But not always.
So station 15 men within a half a mile radius to look out for individuals who dont
seem to fit in or who have suspicious behaviors. Command them to record and
report it to the main person in command. Let them take a photo and send it to our
system.
Alright. James said.

And James.
Yes?
Send the most sensitive heads youve got.
Tristan went to the command center. The command center turned out to be a
suite in a hotel just beside their target building. Since there are a lot of agents
assigned for the job, they have been sleeping there for three days. And Tristan
firmly commanded them to use the underground exit as not to attract peoples
attention on why there a bunch of guys all coming from the lower class with rugged
clothes going to one hotel. Keep a low profile, that is one of the top priority of the
team.
He looked around the room. Everyone was busy. Checking and double
checking. Running through information thoroughly and creating possible plans when
plan a, b and c doesnt work. All these men and women are highly skilled and
qualified for the job. Not to mention highly paid too. But he cannot see that fact
now. All of them are wearing plain and low profiled clothes. Some are even wearing
work clothes. He himself is wearing outdoor boots and faded jeans.
Nice boots Tristan. It really suits you grumpy face. Have been working too
hard in the farm eh? You a farmboy now? Of all the people who doesnt want to
screw with him. This one, loves annoying Tristan very much. But he doesnt mind it,
after all it is Kris. His half brother and assistant. Yeah, of all things. But he wasnt
complaining.
And you look like you have been sleeping on the streets for a year now. You
smell like the dumpsters. What perfume is it? Rotten Chanel? Victorias Sewage?
Or let me guess...
Hey, this is an exclusive Hugo Boss perfume!

Its fake though. But admit it, it smells good. Kris said. And Victorias are girl
perfumes. You dont know that because you aint got girls for a long time. Gotta get
that engine running again bro, its been rusting for some time.
Obviously, Kris said it loud for everyone to hear and start chuckling on their
seats.
Everything set? He asked, not wanting to continue the discussion about his
love life.
Area 1 covered. Sanders the head of the explosives department shouted
from the far right corner.
Area 2 all set. Nick, the tactical unit leader seconded.
Area 3 and 4 secured.
Snipers stationed on all exit and entry points.
All areas secured. The last call was from James, his secretary.
Tristan nodded and looked at his wrist watch. Almost time.
Okay, lets get rolling. He said as he left the room ready heading to area 4. He
only has 10 minutes to station with the other snipers on the roof.
***
Yoshiko got her package ready. It was dropped earlier by a handsome agent
pretending to be a bellboy. Riu, she muttered. Riu the handsome guy who
condescendingly points out she is not pure or of real blood to Dad all the time.
And yes. Today was not an exception. She almost reached for the fork on the table
beside the door and plant it on Rius temples. However, she knew Riu is one of the
best agents, Dad would not forgive her for killing Riu just in case. He is good, but I
have definitely a fight. Well, enough of Riu, Yosh. Better get your ass to the station
and drop that pink little thing on the destination. Well, she thought, wearing her
pumps with her skin tight dress. She picked the bag beside the table and wore her
Dior shades. Show time.

She could not recall what happened before she entered the Dark Night
Society. She could only remember her first day in the house (JAP). She had to walk
with the stranger uncomplainingl